Grade the annuity offer in front of you.
Plain-English guides to annuities: how fixed, indexed and variable annuities work, what they really cost, and the questions that help you judge an offer before you sign. Every guide links to its sources.
Articles
18 articles
What Is an Annuity? How the Contract Works, Step by Step
A plain-English walk through the annuity contract: who the parties are, the accumulation and payout phases, what annuities promise, what you give up and who regulates them.
Read · 6 min read →Annuity BasicsFixed, Indexed and Variable Annuities: How the Main Types Differ
How fixed, fixed indexed and variable annuities credit growth, where losses can happen, how each charges you and which kind of buyer regulators describe for each.
Read · 6 min read →Annuity BasicsImmediate vs. Deferred Annuities: When and How Payouts Start
How immediate, deferred and deferred income annuities differ, the ways to take money out, and how payout choices like lifetime, joint and period-certain change your income.
Read · 6 min read →Annuity BasicsRILAs Explained: Buffers, Floors and the Trade for Capped Gains
How registered index-linked annuities credit returns, how buffers and floors limit losses, what caps cost you, and why early withdrawals and adjustments matter.
Read · 6 min read →Annuity BasicsWho Annuities Can Suit, and Who They Usually Don't
An honest self-check drawn from SEC, FINRA and NAIC guidance: the situations where an annuity's features meet a real need, and the ones where they usually don't.
Read · 6 min read →Annuity BasicsAnnuities vs. Other Retirement Income: Social Security and Bonds
How annuity income compares with Social Security timing, Treasuries, TIPS, I bonds and savings withdrawals on lifetime income, inflation, access to money and legacy.
Read · 6 min read →Costs & Fine PrintAnnuity Fees Explained: Contract, Fund, Rider and Hidden Costs
How annuity costs work, from base contract and administrative charges to fund expenses, rider fees and the implicit costs built into credited rates.
Read · 6 min read →Costs & Fine PrintSurrender Charges: How They Work and What Free Withdrawals Allow
How annuity surrender charges and schedules work, what free-withdrawal provisions usually let you take out, and the adjustments and taxes that can still apply.
Read · 6 min read →Costs & Fine PrintCaps, Participation Rates and Spreads: How Index Credits Shrink
How caps, participation rates, spreads, floors and buffers turn an index's return into the smaller credit an indexed annuity or RILA actually pays.
Read · 5 min read →Costs & Fine PrintIncome and Death-Benefit Riders: What They Cost and What They Do
What annuity death-benefit, income and long-term care riders promise, how their fees and conditions work, and the questions to ask before paying for one.
Read · 5 min read →Costs & Fine PrintHow Annuities Are Taxed: Qualified vs. Non-Qualified Contracts
A plain-English guide to IRS rules for annuity withdrawals, income payments, the additional 10% tax before 59½, exchanges and death benefits.
Read · 5 min read →Costs & Fine PrintFree-Look Periods: How to Cancel an Annuity You Just Bought
What an annuity free-look period is, how long it typically lasts, what refund to expect, and how to cancel a contract cleanly before the window closes.
Read · 5 min read →Grade Your OfferGrade Your Annuity Offer: A Step-by-Step Self-Check
A plain-English checklist for grading an annuity offer yourself: what it is, who sells it, how it fits, what leaving costs and what to get in writing.
Read · 6 min read →Grade Your OfferQuestions to Ask Before Buying an Annuity: Get the Answers in Writing
The questions regulators and consumer guides suggest asking about an annuity contract, the person selling it, the recommendation and the insurer, and why written answers matter.
Read · 5 min read →Grade Your OfferAnnuity Red Flags and Scams That Target Retirees
Warning signs regulators flag in annuity sales to older adults, from free-lunch seminars and made-up senior titles to churning, pressure and fake government callers.
Read · 5 min read →Grade Your OfferBest-Interest Rules for Annuity Sales: NAIC Model 275 and Reg BI
How the NAIC's annuity best-interest model and the SEC's Regulation Best Interest shape annuity recommendations, what they require, and what they do not promise.
Read · 6 min read →Grade Your OfferHow to Check an Annuity Agent's License and the Insurer Behind It
Step-by-step checks before you buy: verify the agent with your state insurance department and BrokerCheck, size up senior titles, and confirm the insurer is licensed.
Read · 5 min read →Grade Your OfferState Guaranty Associations: What They Cover and Where Limits Apply
What happens to an annuity if the insurer fails, how state life and health guaranty associations step in, the NAIC model's coverage limits, and what is left out.
Read · 5 min read →Annuity A–Z
54 Annuity terms explained in a sentence or three, from accumulation phase to surrender charge.